Lessons within Conversations

When you’re young, your parents are your best friends. It’s not the people you meet in school, your childhood friends, or your partner in crime—it’s your parents.

The conversations you have with your parents are some of the most important conversations you’ll have in your life. They aren’t around forever, so they try to pass down the lessons they’ve learned to benefit you throughout your life.

I like talking to my dad about what’s happening in my life because I usually get a lesson out of every conversation. He turns almost every conversation into a new learning experience, and I’m able to use what I’ve learned in my day-to-day life. We especially talk about my business, since he was the one who inspired me to try to run my own. He’s always giving me ideas on how I can expand my business. Recently, he gave me the idea of renting a small space with a couple of my own machines. Conversations like those benefit both of us. I get some new ideas for my business, and my dad gets to enjoy a good conversation.

These conversations matter because they help build trust between you and your parents. It’s similar to building connections with other people. When you talk to your parents, you deepen your connection with them. These conversations don’t only benefit you—they can also benefit your parents. They stay updated on your life and help you when you make a mistake. If you’re having trouble with something or you need help, the first person you should go to is your parents. They’re going to be the first people to want to help you, and they’ll do it in a way that keeps you as safe as possible.

I believe the reason most kids my age don’t want to talk to their parents is that they think it’s none of their business, or they’re going to hear a lecture if they do. Or maybe they don’t have the best relationship with their parents and don’t feel like talking to them about their problems. Even if you don’t have a good relationship with your parents, it’s still good to talk to them. Not only can you fix whatever went wrong in your relationship, but you can also build on that relationship and have your parents in your corner. They will be there regardless, but it’s nice to know that they're behind you in all of your endeavors.

Don’t think of those discussions as lectures or as them “getting on you,” because then you’ll never learn from them. Listen to what they’re saying, consider it, and use what applies to you. It doesn’t have to be everything they say. Keep in mind, your parents are also human and can be wrong sometimes. But most of the time, they know what they’re talking about.

Even little conversations are helpful, just go to your parents and start a conversation with them. A simple “how was work?” is enough to make that relationship a little stronger than it was before. And it doesn’t have to be every day, two to three times a week is enough because it shows consistency and that you actually want to talk to them. Like it or not, you’re going to talk to your parents, so it’s best you make the most out of it.

There are going to be times when your parents don’t give you the 100% best advice ever because they don’t fully understand, or they don’t really know what to do in the situation. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk to them. Avoiding a conversation makes it harder to talk to people, and you can become isolated as a result of this. So even if you don’t think your parents would know what to do in your situation, ask for their input. It might not be the best course of action, or it might not be the way you wanted to handle things, but talking to them about whatever is bothering you is what matters.

This matters even more as you’re growing up because your parents won’t always be there. Eventually, you’ll be living your own life without them. So it’s important to listen during those conversations because they’re going to tell you some pretty useful information. And the points of those conversations won’t always hit you immediately. Maybe they hit the next day, or the day after, or 10 years from now. Either way, it’s important you listen whenever they talk to you.

Listen to your parents. You may not see it now, but they know what they’re talking about.